


snapshots

by TheatricSmile



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Cat mention, Chapter Four, Chapter five, Chapter one, Chapter seven, Chapter three, Chapter two, Childhood, Chpater Six, Dimileth Week 2020 (Fire Emblem), Fishing, Fluff, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Other, Post-Canon, Resurrection, Sleep, Supports, Urban Fantasy, no beta we die like Glenn, tea time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26843353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheatricSmile/pseuds/TheatricSmile
Summary: i did my best
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & My Unit | Byleth, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. echoed

The sky is dark and the manor silent by the time that Byleth's father comes to fetch him.

They go quietly, already bored of the games that Sylvain and Glenn played so often. Their footsteps creep through empty hallways no longer full of bustling panicking servants holding bowls of water. Still the scent of crushed laundry lingers in the air as Byleth and their father traverse onwards. They come to a door that Byleth's father pushes open.

A large bed occupies most of it with a small group of midwives and nursemaids crowding around. Soft conversation intermingles between them.

Byleth's father nods at them solemnly then pushes them towards the bed. They stumble as they slip through the group but catch themself on the sheets with ease.

Their eyes rise to meet Queen Eithne, unusually pale. She held a small infant in her arms that suckled at one breast. Small tufts of golden dawn formed a light crown around its head. A thick sheet of deep blue tightly formed around its body with a little pin holding it all together.

Byleth breathes in the slightest and smells something rotten intermingling with delicate tones of wispy milk.

"What is that?" they half demand.

In response, most of the midwives shoot them a nasty glare only to fold up against their father.

"Ahaha," Eithne trails off in a slight chuckle. Her chest heaves with exhaustion and she turns sour like aging cheese. One nursemaid plasters a cooling cloth that pins back her dark hair. "This is Dimitri. Dima, meet Byleth."

"Dimitri will grow up to rule Faerghus one day," their father speaks, solemn and serious in every word. "You'll protect him from harm, won't you?"

They consider it.

Byleth raises their arm and across his forehead, they leave a soft mark of roasted nuts and baked bread. Dima squirms in response but does not weep.

"Alright."

* * *

Snow fell around them as Byleth trailed their charge into a small clearing in the woods close to Fhirdiad. Strange that they would miss the capital so dearly since leaving for the north and yet...

"Mitya, stay close to me. Who knows what could be roaming among the trees." Their voice dropped into a conspiratorial tone as they stepped closer. "Maybe even snow lions."

Dimitri gasped. "Snow lions?" he did not sound terrified much to Byleth's annoyance. "Can we go see them?"

"Maybe when the others arrive," Byleth lies then changes the topic, "Didn't you want to build snowmen?"

"Snowmen!"

Then Dimitri dropped into the snow, kicking his legs out to create a nice snow saint. Byleth hesitated before following suit. The fluffy snow meant that they didn't ache from the fall for long. Above them, the sky remained as grey as the castle walls.

Below them, the remains of the unfortunate.

Besides Byleth, Dimitri rolling around in the snow before shaking all of it. A pleasant day if Byleth could define what it meant for themself.

* * *

"I want to give this to her," Dimitri states sounded all too determined for what he held.

A small knife the length of his forearm and half as thick laid across his arms. Byleth forced back his urge to roll around on the ground. "Could you not have done this when saying farewell to Edelgard earlier?" he says instead impatiently. "Because her carriage will be leaving soon."

Dimitri's eyes glinted with something. Dread ran down Byleth's spine upon the recollection of why it felt so familiar. "That's why we need to go!"

The two darted out of the palace not a moment later, Glenn tumbling after as the carriage headed for the gates.


	2. according to guide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> inspired by [ how to bring someone back from the dead ](https://www.instagram.com/p/B1grcVdI6jy/)
> 
> i hope this works

_Dear Claude,_

_Surprised, aren't you?  
_

_I know that I usually deliver these myself however I will be taking a short trip. Shouldn't be longer than two months so don't worry about me._

_It has been... quiet lately._

_Recently I have uncovered something that I must finish. Along the way, I believe that I would be meeting up with Lysithea and Leonie. They mentioned sharing some news which I'm sure that a schemer like you would already know._

_If not, I won't spoil it._

_We should speak more often._

_Your Teach_

The quill drops on the surface of the desk, ink splashing in a small dot. Byleth stands with a knapsack bag stashed under for about five months. Just a quick check...

A gold coin, two quilts, and the book that started it all.

* * *

There are many forests in Fodlan, all of them dense, frightening, and dark. Only one of which Byleth stands at the edge of. He takes out a bag of cookies and proceeds to munch on one by one.

The trees loom overhead.

Somewhere in the darkness of the forest is...

Byleth swallows the last cookie whole, soft and almost crumbly in that way. He takes one last look before plunging in.

* * *

The teapot clinked against the small plate that Byleth had to pool up all the excess water. A soft fragrant aroma exuded from the cups of chamomile tea. The perfect cup then.

He dropped two cubes of sugar into his own cup.

"This blend of chamomile is quite fragrant."

Byleth looks up, his eyes meeting the sky blue of the student that he invited for tea. Dimitri quirks a little smile. "May I ask where you got it, Professor?" he continued on.

"There's a small shop ran by a certain merchant. She typically sells all sorts of things..."

"You mean Miss Anna? I know of her. She's quite understanding whenever I purchase weapons from her store." Dimitri flushed for some reason, picking up a tiny thin spoon and stirring his cup.

Byleth decided to hum in understanding. "Right, you break a lot of things, don't you?"

Dimitri chuckled, slightly sheepish and amused at once. "That's true. Speaking of which, I want to talk to you about..."

* * *

"Professor!"

Byleth startled, instinctively sliding the knife up his sleeve. It attached to a hook sewn in one third among the cloth without threatening to slice open his skin. He scanned the corridor before spotting Flayn hurrying towards him as quick as a bird.

"Flayn, didn't I tell you to call me by my name," Byleth said instead of a greeting. "I see that you're not carrying around that fishing pole. Did something come up?"

"Linny's arriving soon."

He's pretty sure that Seteth went complaining about that boy coming to and from the place without notice last week. Lindhardt must've caught on eventually. "I"m certain that you'll be glad to see him and Caspar again."

"Speaking of which-"

"Apologies," Byleth says in a not really apologetic tone, "I don't have the time to be gardening with you."

"Aww..." He could hear Flayn pouting as she hurried to follow Byleth through the hallways towards the greenhouses. "Then why are you going there?"

"Just a quick errand."

Byleth pushed open the doors, scanning the rows of tended plants. He reached the exact plot and picked through for the perfect white rose.

Flayn watched him for the longest time. When Byleth forgotten that she stood next to him, she spoke up, "What do you need roses for?" she gasped as a thought came to her, "Are you planning to confess to a secret lover?"

"No secret lovers, I'm afraid." Byleth twisted his wrist and the blade sliced through the stem, letting the pale white bud drop into his hand. "But I'll appreciate if you'll help me pick out some blankets."

* * *

Byleth walks on and on and on.

His feet ache. He's lost track of time when a bright light flickers between the trees. He heads towards it then for a long while, long enough that the ambiance light dies by every step.

"It's been a while since the last time we spoke." He swallows down the emotions and continues on. "Edelgard died. We found the culprits behind the Tragedy of Duscar... A lot of things have happened since.

"I look forward to telling you all about them."

He steps into the light and it vanishes, leaving him in the darkness of the forest.

When did night fell?

Byleth lights the stick he's been using to mark various tree roots and embeds it deep into the ground. He lies down on the ground, eyes sliding close.

Day breaks out by the time that Byleth stirs again. He stretches out his legs only for one of his feet to brush against something that had not been there the night before.

Faint light breaking through the cover of trees barely tight

It comes apart the moment he pulls on the simple tie. In the center of the spread cloth, half a cheese wheel, several sandwiches, and a flask of cold tea. He eats only half a sandwich before pulling the tie back.

He doesn't return it to the bag, instead choosing to pick the sole golden coin.

The coin glints with a newfound shine that sets a chill down Byleth's spine. With it in hand and a coat out of the larger bag now over his shoulder under his other arm, he steps into the fae ring.

"Dimitri, I'm coming."

As expected, only the faintest sound of courting crickets in the far distance answer. The coin falls out of his hand into the ground.

It vanishes and he breathes a sigh of relief. Byleth pulls on the jacket, adjusting so that he still had easy access to the half-open sack.

He closes his eyes and thinks only of sinking, being swallowed up whole by the ground.

Byleth opens his eyes to a long dark corridor. He grabs a second somewhat shorter stick out of the bag. It lights up about two squares in every direction if not for the walls on both sides of him.

In front of him, the hallway fades into darkness and whispering.

A chill went up his spine but he continued on.

The corridor ends in front of a small cottage not out of place of a cozy patch of woods. In front of the door, a pale dark woman waits for Byleth. Her hair matches the depiction of her, strand for strand except for artistical differences.

"It's been such a long time since I've had a guest," she stops and takes in the sight of Byleth standing in front of her. "Won't you come in and eat with me?"

"I've eaten and feel no need for more." He steps into the cottage, finding it to be much larger on the inside.

"Ah," her lips turned downwards for a moment as she spoke, "another wanderer then. You have a rose for me?"

Byleth plucks the pale white rose. It's petals glisten with dew and imprints of thorns dance around the leaves as he offers it to the goddess of the dead.

She takes it, lifting it up closer to her nose as she breathes in the faint fragrance. "Very well then." The goddess stepped out of the room and returned a second later with a book. Golden thread etched a beautiful pattern across the cover.

"Presumably, you know how to get to the fields from here?"

"Of course."

Book in hand, Byleth departed the cottage trying desperately to ignore the eyes boring into his back.

* * *

"Hey, Teach!"

Byleth startled, the children around him scattering towards the newcomer. He straightened up and watched as Claude strode into the training fields. "Is there something wrong? One of the other students having a problem with the homework I assigned?"

"Nah," Claude laughed, glancing over at Dimitri distracted by the second group. "Can't I just say hello?"

"I suppose you can," Byleth conceded.

"Speaking of which, you've been spending a lot of time with his princeliness lately..."

"And what of it?"

Dimitri yelped, stepping back from the force it took to shatter the blade in half. Some of the orphans burst into laughter as they attempted to pull out tip of the sword without slicing themselves open.

"Just curious."

Byleth didn't turn around to see the flashing expressions stretching across Claude's face. Bitterness perhaps or some sort of thoughtfulness.

* * *

He first heard trickling water before he spotted the boat on the edge of a very large body of water. It went on and on for seemingly miles, edging on thick mist. The goddess of death perched calmly on it with a paddle twice her height across her lap.

"You're quite swift," Grima says, her name not needed to be said, "Most would rest a while before getting this far. Do you not wish to sit down for a while?"

Then she smiles, a glint of ice in her teeth.

"I still have your book," Byleth tells her and places it back onto her lap. "Can we take off now?"

Byleth climbs into the boat. Grima tucks the rose into his coat before picking up the paddle. She pushed the boat away from the shore, drifting into the mist.

Some point in the mist, the boat shakes.

"Time to get out, boy."

He gets out of the boat, wading onto the shore, and continues in-land. Ghastly faint spirits roam in every direction looking as though they had never perished. Their voices muttered on and on without end.

None matched the one Byleth set out to find. He walks and walks before hearing the scraping of something against dirt.

A man who stood tall above Byleth and donned only the darkest set of armor loomed in front of him. Pale gold strands hung around his head, concealing sky blue eyes.

"Hello," he breathes out, barely able to hold back his excitement.

"You're..." Dimitri tilts his head, noting the way that Byleth's chest rose and fell to the warm flush that overtakes his cheeks. "You're alive."

"Do you want me to tell you a story?"

"That would be... nice."

* * *

A complaint came through the request inbox on the weekend that Byleth found the time to check it. One of the students complaining about a strange smell coming from Claude's room for the past week. Most certainly to be Felix. Sylvain's... general shenanigans made it difficult to notice anything off.

As Byleth neared the door, he noted that a strange smell seemed to thicken with every step. He couldn't place a certain note on it as it evaded every sense with ease.

Byleth knocked on the door.

"Give me a moment!" Claude called out and proceeded to scramble around the room. Several seconds later, he opened the door. "Oh hey, Teach. What brought you to my lovely abode?"

Behind him, a small pot hung over the fireplace. A small fire flickered and licked at the metal.

"I've received a complaint from-"

"Felix right?" Claude cut off, strolling back over to the fireplace. He stirred the pot with a metal rod that echoed those of potioners Byleth worked with before. "It's just a few mishaps, nothing too big."

"What on Fodlan are you making?" Byleth blurted out, automatically cringing at the abruptness.

Claude took it in stride, gesturing at the pot full of transparent liquid. "That? Want some?" he jokingly offered or at least Byleth hoped it was a joke.

"Knowing you, it won't be good if I take it."

"Good choice, Teach, because it's a stomach poison." He paused and tilted his head in curiousity, eyes glinting mischievously. "What's the look on your face? It's mild!

"I picked up a new book and tried out some of the stuff it suggested..." Claude waved one hand towards the chair across from Byleth, a leather tome sprayed out across one armrest. Not that he could read it's title from far away.

"Do you think that you should be doing this anywhere then your own room?"

"Well, it's not like it's going to blow up." He picked up a ladle, pouring out the poison into glass vials. If Byleth hadn't been told that it's poison, he might've mistaken it for water.

"If you're that confident in your skills, then I'll simply have to trust you to not disturb the others with your experiments."

"Er..."

"If Lorenz comes in tomorrow claiming to be ill, it will be you won't it?"

* * *

"It sounds wonderful... Can you tell me more?"

Byleth obliged, dipping into his memories of the monastery. Students laughing and arguing. Hilda begging off homework. Lysithea strangling Claude... All without mentioning a single name of course.

He stops eventually. He didn't come to tell the dead tales of the living. "Are you cold?"

Dimitri hovers over the question, lost and obviously confused by the context. All at once he seemed to come to the realization that he couldn't feel his body heat. "So... cold..." he murmured.

"You can have my coat if you wish." Byleth slid the cloak away from himself without waiting for Dimitri to answer. He hurried to tuck it between the gaps in the metal armor.

"Do... do you know me?"

"Yes. Your name is Dimitri."

A small smile stretches across his face at the sound of it. "Dimitri..." he mutters to himself. "I like it."

Byleth pulls out the quilt that Dedue gave over to him. Small cloth shapes melded into each other as Dimitri wrapped it around his left arm and his left arm only.

"I'm Byleth."

"Byleth... feels warm."

"You don't have to stay here if you don't want to." He looks up at Dimitri. "If you want, you can come back with me."

"It sounds nice," Dimitri confides and takes his hand.

* * *

The light fades from Byleth's eyes and he takes it as a sign to open them now. He finds himself in the middle of the forest, looking up into the cover of trees. Light flows through the leaves so much more smoothly.

Next to Byleth, Dimitri dozes on the ground with his cloak all but wrapping him. His snores are loud and certain proof that he's here and alive.

When they return to the monastery a few days later, the entirety of the Golden Deer is waiting for them.

But that's in the future.


	3. it's an idea alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> inspired by [a prompt on tumblr](https://write-it-motherfuckers.tumblr.com/post/628378676982054912/you-knew-you-should-have-walked-away-as-soon-as)
> 
> trying this again!  
> 

The car rolled to a stop. Byleth stared at the steering wheel, unsure of what brought him here. Groceries? No, the store's still a few blocks from here...

He rolled down the windows only to be slammed by the coppery stench coming right next to the car. A quick scan of his surroundings uncovered a wolf in the alleyway, noticeable by the pool of blood expanding out from under it. Byleth clambered out of the car after parking it. He scanned the wolf which really was the size of him plus a few inches. Wolves weren't native to the cities either. Who would be this foolish to bring a wolf this large in though?

There are multiple ways to deal with the situation at hand.

After a quick consideration, Byleth disregarded them all for the most foolish solution. He wrapped his jacket around the wolf's torso and hauled it up over his shoulder. Feels a lot like picking up his father from the bar actually.

Except for the part where Byleth outruns angry bartenders and the foul smell of vomit and alcohol combined.

He nudged the pile of thick fur onto the space between the two rows of seats. It doesn't stir as his jacket stained in multiple places. By some miracle, no police car pulls Byleth over in the rush to get back to the apartment.

Nor do the neighbors come out at the sound of him climbing the stairs far slower than he would like.

Still, Byleth managed, and the wolf landed on his soft rug.

He side-stepped into his bathroom, fetching that first-aid kit that he had never needed to use. His father might appreciate that Byleth finally will use it even if for the strangest of reasons. Or not.

It's also for the best that Byleth not worry about the fact that he has minimal medical knowledge. He trimmed most of one side to smooth out the bandages on the smaller cuts. The bigger cuts are delicately sewn up like ripped tears on clothes.

Every so often the wolf whines or whimpers. Byleth took it as a good sign of life.

When Byleth tries to stand, he ended up needing to rely on the couch for support. His clothes stuck to him through sweat and the apartment turned dark from the lack of light coming through the windows. When did night fall?

Then and only then hunger strikes, followed by bone deep-exhaustion that has Byleth swaying on his feet. Eating is out of the possibilities. Nothing's in the fridge and he can't get up the will to call the local restaurants on the phone across the room. He picked up his feet and trudges into his bedroom.

Byleth tossed off his shirt after using it to wipe off what sweat it could. He crashed across the mattress on the floor and promptly dropped into unconsciousness.

* * *

A loud crash echoes through the apartment. Byleth doesn't wake up until a second one follows, reluctantly rolling out of the mattress. He stayed like that for a while.

What made that sound?

He bounced back and forth before creeping out of his room, flashlight in hand.

As he neared the living room, Byleth found the door pushed wide open and light breaking through. He lowered his flashlight and startled at the reveal of a large silhouette. It could be twice the size of the wolf he found earlier in the day.

In a burst of courage, he entered the living room to find-

A tall man stood over the wreckage that had been Byleth's snacking table. Light gold hair hung around his neck that touched a large cloak edged in monochrome fur echoing the colors of the canine. He looked up the moment Byleth stepped into the room, their eyes meeting at once.

Something about him sent a strange familiar trill down his spine. It echoes the aura of the statues of a temple his father reluctantly dragged him to. More condensed though like-

"What," snarled the god of the hunt, "have you brought me to, pathetic mortal?"

* * *

"So you claim that you found me in an alleyway," Blaiddyd summarizes, one sole eye squinting angrily at the empty mug, "Brought me back to an apartment block and stitched me up."

Byleth isn't brave enough to pull it out of his grasp.

"Sounds about right," he says honestly.

They sat rather awkwardly across from each other at the small table Byleth ate meals at. Somehow against all the odds in the world, Byleth managed to get Blaiddyd to sit down and accept a cup of freshly made tea.

"Can't even get into contact with the others..." Blaiddyd mutters to himself then looked up at Byleth. "There are anti-tracking wards around the building, correct?"

His hands tightened around the mug painted to have cats sprawled out across the ceramics. "I"m not taking them down just so that you can send a message to Fraldarious and Gautier."

"You certainly know your gods, don't you? But I agree that you shouldn't. There are worse things waiting out there and I'm not strong enough to fight them at the moment."

"Worse things? Like what?" Byleth leaned in, pouring tea into the other mug. "I'm kinda behind groceries, dude."

"The Black Eagles."


	4. a good thing

"Beloved!" Dimitri hurried through the hallways, checking every room before entering the library. He found Byleth sitting in the book nook with three cats sprawled out next to him. "Have you seen..."

The black cat glanced up at the sound of Dimitri's voice, amber orbs far too familiar for Dimitri's taste. Especially considering the pure hatred as Byleth ran down his fingers alongside the sleek black fur.

"Beloved," he sighed exasperated, "Why have you turned the others into cats?"

Byleth's lips quirked into a little smile. He put his book to the side- poison which Reigan is all too fond of recommending, to pull cat Sylvain onto his lap. Dedue attempted to jump over him but the large mass of fur caught and brought him down on unfortunate Sylvain.

"Don't you think that they're rather lovely this way?"

"Lovely they may be." Dimitri took a seat next to Byleth, rubbing a thumb behind Ingrid's ear. "Weren't you supposed to be at the autumnal meeting?"

Cichol might've sent over a message about it. Dimitri definitely would not have known considering that the dove promptly got into an incident involving fire. A complete surprise of an incident.

Definitely having nothing to do with Dimitri.

"It's rather a lovely day for tea," Byleth comments idly, glancing out of the window. Fiery clouds drift across the sky and every once in a while the screams of the damn echo through the fields. "How about we make a pot and take the day off?"

"That balcony close to the throne room has a good view today. Some of the more special sights are going to be put on soon."

"I love how you think," Byleth told him and kissed him on the nose.

* * *

Even from miles away, Dimitri can see the black smoke coming off of most of the buildings still standing. He treads among the rubble that once made up Enbarr while trying not to flinch at the sight.

Corpses and body parts littered across former roads.

In the distance, more rubble upon a hill that Dimitri once knew as the palace of Hersvelg. He's tried tapping into his new powers but nothing lived for miles and miles. Just a small flickering light in the hill and the ones close to death in the cities around the capital.

Goddess, Byleth had went through on his promise to be through with the Adrestrian Empire. Dimitri made his slow rise up the main path where traders would've taken to the castle.

He found Byleth and Edelgard together in where the throne room likely would've been. Behind the duo, half of a wooden throne laid on it's side.

The Sword of the Creator embedded itself into Edelgard's stomach, blood flowing down from a similar hole in her chest. Her skin had long turned ash pale and her eyes closed to the world. Dimitri watched on as Byleth took a knife, carving out inches of skin from the former empress.

Even the very sight of it sent his stomach rolling.

"Byleth. She's dead. There's no need to... do such things."

Byleth ignored him.

"Byleth." Dimitri knelt down before him, one hand grasping Byleth's chin and lifting it so their gaze met. "She is dead and the empire is gone."

"Not dead enough."

Once three seconds passed, Dimitri wrangled the dagger out of his hands, making sure to not nick himself. They proceeded to sit there for a long while, staring up into the sky.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Now?" Byleth shifted, pushing the corpse off of his lap. Dimitri heard her body hit the ground and resisted the urge to look. "Go with you of course."

"With- with me?" Dimitri sputtered. Of course, it made some sense. He had never gotten a hint that the revived vessel of creation held any interest in him. Him? The former god of winter? "What for?"

Instead of answering, Byleth winked and that was the end of it.

* * *

Cold water dripped down from the ceiling and collected in puddles soon to turn into ponds. Footsteps echo against the cracked stone as the two Elites made their way downwards. The silence lingered until Riegan broke it with a sly grin.

"Well Blaiddyd?" he started, somehow managing to swing the dagger around and around in one hand without harming himself. "How about it?" Riegan turned slightly to face Dimitri while still walking, mimicking a crab in his stride with ease. "We dig up a goddess's heart and perform some naughty magicks?"

"You're lucky, Riegan, that I've come to be more patient with your bullshit," Dimitri grunted out. He picked up the pace only for Riegan to follow suit.

"There's no point in convincing me when we're almost at the end of the catacombs and Saint Seiros can override any objection."

They stopped in front of a large door. This must be the one. All the others were two or three floors above them and that Crest of Flames is pretty distinguishable. Even when painted in white and faded with time.

Riegan smacked the blade against his palm, whistling a little tune that Dimitri's overheard Dominic singing.

"Pretty door."

"Tell me, why am I holding a shovel when we know that Sothis was not buried in the ground?" As if for demonstration, Dimitri flipped the shovel over in his hands. A good steelhead with a sturdy handle. It however could possibly be better off for gardening.

"Well technically..."

Dimitri scowled. "No beating around the bush."

"Sheesh!" Riegan tossed up his arms, stepping to the side for Dimitri to take place right in front of the door. "Well, we couldn't find anything else that would be helpful and not of much importance so... A shovel!"

Dimitri struggled to find a better way to phrase the question. He gave up in the audience of a snickering Riegan and rose the shovel high above his head.

It shattered against the stone.

The doors slowly but steadily creaked open under the pressure of Dimitri slamming down on the crack between the two doors. Eventually, they could enter the final tomb with ease. He turned around to find Riegan slamming his mouth shut, a soft jet of pride rushing through him at the sight.

"Well then?" Dimitri snarked, "Shell we get going?"

"Oh shut it."

Riegan slipped around Dimitri, treading up to the stone casket. He whistled upon pushing the lid away and started to work with that blade.

It's a relief really when Riegan returns with a stone that looks nothing at all like a heart. Save of course for the blood dripping off it at a rapid pace.

They trace their steps up through the catacombs and into the monastery where one of the others pointed them towards the training fields. Felix would be disgruntled to be parted from his favorite fields of the monastery.

Dominic and Ordelia didn't glance up from the books they sought advice from, whispering to each other things that Dimitri would not be able to understand. The Ashen Hunt watched the duo near the other side of the fields. All the while, Seiros stood in the middle with a calm yet eager smile.

"You've brought back the heart of the goddess?" she called out once Dimitri and Riegan came within earshot. "Very well, Goneril and-"

"Hey!"

Two steps behind Lamine- the man effortlessly lifting the corpse on his own, Goneril entered the training fields. She made a beeline and the two met in a tight hug. For a moment, Dimitri longed for Dedue's companionship.

Then it vanishes.

Lamine stepped over the chalk and dropped the body onto the center. He ignored Dominic and Ordelia's screeching in favor of turning to Seiros. "We located a mass group of corpses not far from here. Picking out an ideal one, however, took up much of our time. Especially considering that-"

"My leg's perfectly fine!" Goneril called out across the field.

"Especially considering that," Lamine starts again, "Goneril refused to assist me when we ran ahead of some soldiers. Likely sent to survey the area."

"Then we must act quickly." Seiros pursed her lips then gestured for the two mages to take their positions. "Dominic? Ordelia? Are you ready or should we rest for a moment?"

"We will be fine, Lady Seiros." Ordelia stepped into the circle close to Dimitri, picking up her tome. "If Lamine is correct, we must act quickly. Goddess Sothis, watching from above..."

Dominic followed suit, their voices intermingling and melding into one. A gentle breeze grew and grew until it had Dimitri struggling to keep his cloak attached to his armor. Riegan gripped tight to one of the columns.

The group watched on in awe as the body with the stone merging into its chest rose into the air. Light seemed to emit out of its eyelids and an orb of pale white wrapped around it. Dominic and Ordelia's chanting rose into a sudden crescendo, matched by the piercing glow that the orb took on.

Dimitri plastered one hand against the bridge of his nose when it became clear that he could see no more. He blinked then lowered it to reveal...

Ordelia stepped forward first, helping the startled vessel up from where it had landed, stirring up dust. She brushed some dust off its sleeves. "How do you feel?" she inquired and it turned to face the group in its whole.

Silence fell over them at the sight of deep blue eyes mirroring the depths of the darkest oceans. Sorrow welled up in that darkness than an emotion that Dimitri had seen far too much.

"Why- why did you do this?"


	5. across the grave

Byleth sighed.

Fifteen times in a row. Dimitri continued to wait patiently, picking the cup out of his beloved's hands. The tea long grew cold so he tossed it out into the gardens below.

"Beloved," he murmured, hands folding around Byleth's. "Tell me what's wrong."

"...it's that day again."

Below them, celebrations of peace commenced through a parade leading to and from the palace's main gates. Felix and Annette bickering even fainter still as their caravans rolled up the path. Somewhere in the palace, Dedue and Ashe prepared a quick meal to enjoy with the rest of the Blue Lions for later in the day.

Somewhere on the grounds of the palace of Fhirdhiad, Edelgard's tombstone rested- twin to the one in the ruins of Enbarr. It is no mystery why Byleth is disturbed on this day of all days.

"If you want," Dimitri starts, not expecting for Byleth to agree, "I'll be tending to her grave after..."

"I do."

Dimitri glanced up but steel determination held Byleth firmly. "Truly?" he pressed.

"It's been five years since the war ended," Byleth quietly stated, he put down a small pastry on Dimitri's plate, "Don't you think that it's about time that I see it for myself?"

* * *

In two lives, there are two graves across two continents. One draped in bitter crimson fabric and the other...

It's lovingly tended to with flowers covering the ground before it. Byleth watches as Dimitri tucks in more sunflowers and corn poppies. The vibrant colors pop against the white stone.

He stands, gently brushing off the dirt from his trousers.

They stand there for what feels to be the longest time. Byleth of course thinks and sinks into memories long buried.

In another world, another time, he stands with a girl of fire and roses.

In this one, he stands with a boy under the azure moon. Nothing much has changed, the dead given new faces and names. The golden butterfly flutters away like always.

When it came time to extinguish the flames, Dimitri insisted on taking the blade.

When Byleth comes to, Dimitri has walked away to tend to the other graves- names of various Blaiddyds that he knows nothing of. He steps closer to the stone, a finger tracing the date 1881 over and over.

"There was a time," he says, "when we walked together. This however is probably for the best.

"We abolished the crest system without blood. No noble may abuse their power. I married the one I loved the most and...

Byleth hesitates, balancing delicately on the edge of choice. He glances back but Dimitri is out of earshot, hovering over the vines that grow up the side of the exterior walls with large purple blossoms.

"It's strange to think that this day in another time, you convinced me to chase my own dreams."


	6. beachcombers

"Do you want to bait the hook with a worm?"

"Er..." Dimitri paused, clearly lost for words. "Is there a difference between a worm and a bait?" he questioned, gesturing towards the basket next to them.

Byleth hummed, twisting around to reach for one of the glittery fake fish out of the kit. "It depends on what kind of fish you're looking for. Worms are general-purpose, can catch anything with it." He popped the hook through the mouth. With the colors of the fake fish, one wouldn't notice the silver metal.

After some fumbling, Dimitri picked out a piece of fish- each species delicately labeled in Byleth's handwriting. He pierced the fish piece through with the hook so the end would be hidden. He tossed the reel out into the lake.

Silence.

Birds crowed up high above them. Byleth started humming a little song to himself, tuning out the world around him.

Dimitri watched his beloved catch fish after fish and wondered why he never felt a tug on his reel. He pulled up once only for the hook to be empty, the fish piece gone at some point. "Oh bugger."

He stood up, wrapping the string around the pole once fully rewound. A few miles away dark silhouettes danced under the skin of the water... Dimitri kept going until he found a shadow larger than the others and rested the pole against his shoulder, pulling it back.

"This is taking too long."

"What?" Byleth glanced over in time to see Dimitri throw the fishing rod at the water like he would a lance. The next moment, he leaped into the lake. Water sprayed out across the pier but mostly on Byleth and into the fishing kit.

"Dimitri!"


	7. dessert sampler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> that's the best part

"Love, I need to do work," Byleth said exasperated. He awkwardly manuveured his laptop to fit comfortably on top of Dimitri's back only for the other to roll over. "Don't you want to sit next to me instead?"

"No."

Dimitri buried his head into the throw pillows, stretching this time across the entirety of the couch,

* * *

Byleth crept down the stairs, heart racing. He threaded across the path from the stairs to the kitchen where...

The pantry doors opened to reveal a perfect box of truffles on the top shelf. Slightly out of the way but the taste of chocolate with cherry syrup would be more then worth it. He started up the shelves, freezing every time a creak echoed out.

"Chocolate," he mumbled and grabbed the box.

Only then did the thought struck Byleth. How the heck would he get down from here? He glanced down at the floor and struck with a wave of unease. Byleth stepped on the shelf below with one hand holding onto the top shelf-

And slipped off.

Right into Dimitri's arms, Dimitri himself looking relieved. "Goodness, beloved, you could've told me that-" he stopped, his eyes landing on the box of chocolates that Byleth held tighter to his chest. "You are aware that it's supposed to be for tomorrow."

"I wanted chocolate now," Byleth confessed guiltily, "I noticed the box among the groceries when you were cleaning up the table for dinner."

"That's alright."

Dimitri carried Byleth up to their shared bedroom where they shared a chocolate before falling asleep.

* * *

"Ah."

"What?" Byleth stiffened, trying to twist around to face Dimitri. He managed to keep a tight grip on light green curls despite the sudden movement. "Did you see something?"

Dimitri pulled one hand back to reveal a light grey hair strand pinched between two fingers.

"I noticed..." he started to say but Byleth faded out.

Grey hair? Is- is he really aging that fast? Seteth never mentioned what the effects of having the Crest of Flames would be before...

"Beloved, it's from the cats," Dimitri told him, revealing three others, shorter then how Byleth usually cut his hair. "You did spend all evening playing with them."

Oh. Right.


End file.
